Having spent eight months barely offering a flicker of resistance against the drop, they have suddenly made headlines all over the place for all the wrong reasons.

Since it was confirmed eight days ago they were goners with a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford, two board members have quit, club skipper Gabby Agbonlahor has been suspended for partying in public while defender Jores Okore has gone on strike.

It’s fair to say, this shambolic excuse of a club is refusing to disappear into the Championship quietly.

Off the pitch, that is. On it, they remain just as useless. Actually, that’s not quite true. On the evidence of this 10th straight defeat – one short of a most unwanted club record – Eric Black’s outfit are getting worse.

And how their long-suffering fans are making their overpaid flops pay for surrendering Villa’s top-flight status in such spineless fashion.

Only Ashley Westwood, Jordan Ayew and Alan Hutton escaped the wrath of the Claret and Blue supporters who bothered to attend yesterday.

All of which meant Saints, who gave fit-again England man Jay Rodriguez his first start in seven months, needed just to turn up to take the points and keep their outside hopes of Europe alive.